Young People Honor Ginsburg’s Memory and Legacy

About 75 guests from the Sunrise LA Youth Movement and Pasadena residents, gather for a memorial honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, with signs, customary stones, candles, songs and prayer at the United States Court of Appeals in Pasadena, on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (Photo by James Carbone)

Members of the Sunrise LA Youth Movement gather for a memorial honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, with signs, customary stones, candles, songs and prayer at the United States Court of Appeals in Pasadena, on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (Photo by James Carbone)

Members of the Sunrise LA Youth Movement hold candles and sing songs in Hebrew during a memorial honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court at the United States Court of Appeals in Pasadena, on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (Photo by James Carbone)

A young man with his dog take part in a memorial honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court at the United States Court of Appeals in Pasadena, on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (Photo by James Carbone

About 75 guests from the Sunrise LA Youth Movement gather for a memorial honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, with signs, customary stones, candles, songs and prayer at the United States Court of Appeals in Pasadena, on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (Photo by James Carbone)

A table with customary stones, signs, and candles for guests as they honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, at the United States Court of Appeals in Pasadena, on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (Photo by James Carbone)

People leave signs with candles to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, during a memorial at the United States Court of Appeals in Pasadena, on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (Photo by James Carbone)

Members of the Sunrise LA Youth Movement gather for a memorial honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, at the United States Court of Appeals in Pasadena, on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (Photo by James Carbone)

Nearly a hundred young mourners gathered Tuesday evening at the U.S. Court of Appeals in Pasadena for a vigil and memorial to honor former Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last week.

The event was organized by Sunrise Youth LA, a local hub of the Sunrise Movement, a national environmental advocacy group.

Participants sang Jewish songs and prayers and held rocks, a symbol of remembrance at Jewish gravesites.

“Flowers die,” said organizer Ozzy Simpson. “Rocks are considered a more permanent tribute in the Jewish culture.”

According to Chabad.org, that analogy runs deep.

“In life,” the site explained, “people may enjoy the beauty of their physical surroundings, but when they die, all of their material possessions and beauty are meaningless and left behind. It is only their accumulated spiritual wealth that remains immortal, just like a rock, which stays forever.”

Mourners held candles and several spoke about the meaning of Ginsburg’s passing.

“I think it’s great that we are able to honor here in this way,” said one young participant, “but it’s so frustrating that this extraordinary human being dedicates 87 years of her life to fighting for justice, and quality, and all these American and human ideals, and the first thing we feel is not just mourning and sadness, but fear. She was so careful all the time when she wrote decisions for the court, because she wanted to bring changes that were meaningful and that would actually last. I am very hopeful that we here, and the rest of the country, can take that to heart.”